Approach of Pakistani society toward status of woman

Pakistani society has variety of cultures and same diversity is found in norms, laws, ethics and social impressions about status of women in all over multiple cultures of Pakistan .Commonly in rural areas woman status as a mother is considered most respectable place in families but this level of respect varies depending upon the social and financial status of family.In urban areas strong woman regarding money, education level and link with influential men can naturally raise her status in social circles.Here tag of masculine identity plays an important role to save her from unexpected attacks of evil like character living in angel ‘s robe.

Being follower of Islamic ideology, Pakistanis are more influenced with their inherent cultural norms like following, patterns of joint and extended family system waiting for men’ approval for final decisions, avoiding giving inheritance to females, different code of conduct and values for men and woman etc., than decrees of Islamic laws.Here extended family system is linked to typical social etiquette and don’t present the picture of Islamic society .Pakistan majority has suppressive way of living under poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, drug dependence and psychological problems, and that traditional pressures and gender discrimination play a major role in producing psychological, physical and sexual violence.

Like other over populated and underdeveloped areas the South Asian region has high tendency of crime against weak genders . In Pakistan, women are not only subjected to financial discrimination, but they are also victims of inhuman customs and laws such as Karo Kari, Hadood ordinance, Qasas and marriage to the Quran and half witnesses according to the state law.

In the rural areas, lower class living women are like slaves to their men or influential men of their areas. They have to obey their fathers, brothers and husbands. Being considered as foolish creatures according to the dominant social and cultural norms men highly involve women in decision-making and tried best to impose their wills to design life styles . Likewise marriage is also a sort of trade between different families both in the rural areas. They are highly vulnerable to violation of their rights to life.

In the Punjab brothers, fathers and husbands subject 82% of women to domestic violence. The incidence of wife-beating is so common that no one consider it as a pernicious form of violence against women. Even in the cases where women receive serious injuries and want to file complaints, they are advised by the police /lawyers/relatives to reconcile with their husbands, as any matrimonial dispute would bring dishonor to them.

This violence against women begins in their childhood. Maximum social pressures are inserted on girl child that reduces her speedy mental and physical development. Another practice common in Pakistan, is cutting off her nose if she is suspected of having an extra-marital relationship. Sexual assault on women, including rape, remains one of the most common crimes. The Human Rights Commission estimated that rape occurs every three hours.

Basic needs in rural areas such as education, health water supply and transport are insufficient or in poor shape. But on the other side it is the influx of all forms of the latest technology, like satellite television and mobile phones have deranged the patterns of social and cultural development of these areas. In villages or underdeveloped areas one can see forms of combined and uneven development i.e T.V ,satellite,mobile phones are available but way of living,their tools and methods of farming are obsolete. These abnormal patterns of development have further aggravated the lives of women in the rural areas. Social life in the countryside and the urban centers has actually worsened which further increasing intense social crisis giving sharp rise in the molestation of girls, gang rape and violent crimes against women.This in interesting phenomenon observed in our underdeveloped areas that one side f females are considered as high-profile insignia of family ‘s honor but for keeping this honor under ordeal of male members all kind of dishonor actions are taken to preserve this egoistic man-made pride.

In Pakistani society women in labor forces is high in demand because this way less paid labor is available to raise profit margin of business minds.Midwives, sweepers, house maids all are low paid but long duration jobs without giving them any kind of respectable social status.

Urban women also face many unjustified response from so called Islamic society. Secretaries, nurses and air hostess like jobs are imperative services of any society which suit to females due to their god gifted housekeeping and caring nature but it is seen that these status is considered as lowest category where large number of lady workers have to please their dominating male bosses to resume their job in good financial position.

Exploitation of females on single status or from weak backgrounds is so common in our society that respectable woman has to think many times before going out in search of job when no male member is available to her due to some unlucky circumstances.This insecurity many time lead ladies to opt for unethical ways like to be 2nd or 3rd wife, having extramarital affairs with influential men or to cross all limits of decency to get high-profile status in the society.It is one of difficult task for single woman to attain some kind of respectable position where she can save her from vulture like nature of men who change their skin and temperament after seeing her unprotected status i.e where tag of male partner in form of brother, father ,husband or son has been detached by some mishap .

So Pakistani society from all sides need serious kind of modification in which individuality and identity of woman should be respected in the same way as this society encourage the influence of men.Muslims have to adopt the evolutionary process through which the mothers by being independent of religion, caste or creed can instill in their children from the very beginning that both the genders are important and ‘honorable’ and have a key role to play in the society. This is only possible when women will get empowerment through proper education and support of their male members and legal backup of the government to contribute efficiently to the country’s uplift as genuine sharing with their male partners.

Allah has given clear message to all Muslim community through example of Prophet Mohammed(pbuh) where his focus of love was kept toward his daughter Fatima(a.S) .He could had been awarded by sons but it is the divine message to His people through this strong example that girl child’s importance is equal in a society as male hold it and same was granted to Super human being of Allah The Prophet(pbuh).

It was his exemplary love for his daughter, his moral teaching for securing and grooming girl child and his dependency on his mature wife that should be considered as light house for giving up orthodox living of subcontinent.Now it is experimentally proved in developed areas that those societies who encouraged woman to come forward and shared goals have less tendency of declining toward corruption, wrong scandals and crook political maneuvering.

In these societies Parents prefer a girl child if choice of gender is asked to them. But these societies are either follower of Christianity or secular but follower of Holy prophet and Fatima(a.s )who even ready to die or killed someone for dishonoring His name hardly seem following the high rated norms toward woman rights prescribed by his teachings.

In civilized society secured men in their own conscious who are grown-ups under liberal mothers, or who are the best husbands, corporate fellow workers, loving brothers always encourage the role of feminism in their lives and society.

Islamic societies is badly in need of practicing,restructuring the real values laws of Islam in which all genders irrespective of their financial, married or gender basis should get proper respectable place either by their choice or boundaries set to them by Allah through His verses and teaching of His Prophet.

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11 Responses to Approach of Pakistani society toward status of woman

Education and economical empowerment can ease this social problem but it also depends on chracter and attitude of woman too.Oppressed woman sometimes behaves in more confused way if over indulged or pampered by community.

Pakistani families strictly follows the laws of orthodox traditions where Patriarch touch is more dominant than other qualities of supremacy.Woman also want to control the people system through the power of men she has in the shape of father sons, brothers and husband instead of using her skills of dedication, sincerity and high moral values she also feel secure to misuse their powers too.

Rape is not a crime of sex but a crime of violence, power and abuse.The power of feudal lords or tribal chieftains lies in the bodies of “their” females.
Women are not safe anywhere, including their homes, the streets, their workplaces and even in spaces which have been sworn to offer them protection.In a patriarchal, male-dominated society like Pakistan, where women are treated as a man’s property, rape has become a form of not just violence against women but also revenge against men in matters of rivalry or enimity.

People don’t expect facts and that is what happening in Pakistani society and it is fact that still women abuse is considered as humiliation iof opponents.
We have to change the mind sets and it is long way to move.It is same land which do gang rape to mukahtarina mai as person of lower class and here we have Hina khar who is representing liberalism of Pakistan who comes from perfect feudal class.

According to Dawn newspaper, the 2008 report of violence against women in Pakistan makes horrific reading. In that year alone, 7,733 cases of violence against women were reported in the media. What is shocking is the large number of women who lost their lives in this period — 1,516 were murdered while 472 were killed for reasons of ‘honor’.Double than this number has been victims of violence which never reported in any forum. This is reality……

In most of Islamic society tribal , urban or rurual , when a girl is raped by a man, since she is no longer a virgin, it is usually believed that the best way to solve the problem is to get them married, especially if the man is not already married. If the man is already married and the raped girl is pregnant, this creates a more complicated situation and usually ends in the girl’s murder.” The report suggests that the practice of forcing rape victims to marry their attackers had been partly reinforced by an earlier, but now obsolete, Turkish penal code. This stipulated that if a rapist married his victim, his penalty would be suspended and if he stayed married to her for five years, it would be cancelled completely.
The UN report, which is based on interviews with more than 250 people in Istanbul and other cities with large Kurdish populations, details several such cases. One involved the rape of a mentally challenged girl. “The brothers of the girl offered her in marriage to the man and said that they would pay all wedding costs, all in an effort to avoid gossip,” the report says. “In the end, they shot the man dead. Later, they threw the girl into a water channel. “Somehow the girl was not hurt; she was saved and then she was sent to another place through [social] organisations.

Theoretical you are correct but in actual positions except for tribal areas rape in rural and urban areas have typical kind of back ground and some time females has some conviction to trigger the beastly character of man .
I don’t think so people force their girls to marry a rapist as it was some kind of mental torture and secondly boys’ family too cant tolerate this.So I don’t think so it is common practice but in jirga system I heard few cases where both boy and girls are forced to marry .Jirga culutre allover the world has so variety as it all depends on human minds who are controller of the jirga so we can get lot of variety of legislation under tribal culture.

We undoubtedly need a socio=cultural revolution. Although media can play a major role in bringing a change but they are more interested earning money in commercials. We should have Think Tanks of Younger people who are not followers of maulvi should sit together and have walks and they must become change agents. But we must have mre opinion leaders in media to bring a drastic change in Pakistani society. Recently my, having masters degree in Home Economics married to a family which looked lierate but proved to be illiterate. The mother in law has gave him charge of the kitchen to cater the needs of her sibbling and husband is numb before cruel mother. Hell with joint family system. Save girls being wedded to joint family systems.
Their growth in life gets stuck up, and she becomes a slave whole life and when the children are born, she cannot love them wwithout the approval of cruel mother in laws. Kill and shoot such mother in laws. Good article. Bravo

South Asian system mainly comprises of joint family system and families of bride first love to get such proposals from sound families but when their girls cant fulfill this responsibility they start cursing in laws.They should remember that they pick such life for their daughters by choice and as house wife this all comes in routine work as mother inlaw has to pass on her respectability to her daughter inlaw surely with some strict rules.So either you shouldn’t accept it as for generations joint family system has some orthodox approach and daughter inlaw should surely train or behave in responsible manners in this seat.married life is not some kind of bed of roses but it transforms immature beings to some kind of responsible living.In joint system many people expect a lot from coming lady but in separate living it has different parameters.Those who are unable to maintain this living too become responsible of ditching of good and organized married life.So before picking proposal elders should bring all parameters in the mind of bride and groom and then should finalize this plan.
By the way your IP addrs is from Denever and you are talking as you are living mollahs of lahore/karachi.